Opportunistic Infections

This book is a comprehensive text on the prophylaxis and treatment of opportunistic infections in a fast growing population of immunocompromised hosts. To this end, the array of diseases covered includes not only opportunistic infections exclusively associated with immunocompromised patients but also infectious diseases which even though benign and self-resolving in immunocompetent hosts, have the potential of becoming serious illnesses in immunocompromised patients. These diseases may quickly develop into fulminant or disseminated illness characterized by high morbidity and mortality rates. Opportunistic Infections: Treatment and Prophylaxis is organized into four major parts covering bacterial, viral, parasitic, and fungal infections. In addition to well-known opportunistic pathogens, each part includes new and emerging species that may be either taxonomically related to a major disease-causing microorganism or microorganisms not until recently considered to be human pathogens. The information contained in this book will include widely accepted prophylactic and treatment regimens based on well-planned large-scale clinical trials, as well as reports from individual cases. To facilitate the quick and convenient access to this information, tables containing recommended prophylactic and therapeutic regimens are included, thus making this an essential resource for all physicians treating these infections.The complex problems of opportunistic infections in patients suffering from an underlying immunodeficiency is a significant medical issue and calls for a concise, yet comprehensive, resource to present the essential information that clinicians require to provide effective medical care. In Opportunistic Infections: Treatment and Prophylaxis, Vassil St. Georgiev surveys the current status of all the major bacterial, viral, parasitic, and fungal infections affecting the immunocompromised population, as well as the anti-infective agents available to treat and prevent them. The author covers individual infections caused not only by well-known etiologic agents, but also by new and emerging species often closely related taxonomically to a major disease-producing microorganism and until recently not considered a human pathogen (e.g., Candida spp. and nontuberculous mycobacteria). The information presented includes data from large well-planned clinical trials, as well as reports of cases involving individuals and small numbers of patients. The latter highlight therapeutic possibilities that may otherwise go unnoticed in clinical practice or in drug research and development. Numerous examples are given of particular treatment regimens for opportunistic infections based on underlying immunologic deficiencies. §Comprehensive and up-to-date, Opportunistic Infections: Treatment and Prophylaxis organizes the wealth of information found in the medical and scientific literature and illuminates those areas of drug development and treatment that, though still not well understood, are crucial to effective patient management, infection prevention, and the development of new therapeutic modalities against infectious diseases in immunocompromised patients.